Field of the Invention
The invention relates to reducing toxicity of 3D-printed articles.
Related Art
Even though additive manufacturing or “3D printing” was first introduced in 1983,1 the technology has become widespread only in the last few years. The value of the 3D printing market grew from $288 million in 2012 to $2.5 billion in 2013 and is projected to grow to $16.2 billion by 2018.2 Much of this growth has occurred in the life sciences, where 3D printing has found applications in dentistry,3,4 prosthetics and implantable devices,5,6 surgical instruments,7 and even tissue and organ replacement.8 By providing businesses, researchers, physicians, and hobbyists with custom objects and tools quickly and inexpensively, 3D printers are revolutionizing manufacturing, accelerating research, and changing how medicine is practiced.
In spite of the growing popularity of 3D printers, relatively little is known about the toxicity of 3D-printed parts. Previous work has found that 3D-printed parts can be toxic to cancer cells9 and may cause allergic or inflammatory responses5,10 and infections11 in patients. Additionally, some 3D printers release potentially-hazardous particles into the air during operation.12 However, the whole-organism health effects of exposure to 3D-printed parts remain largely unexplored. As 3D-printed parts find increasing use in the medical and life science fields, the effects of exposure to these parts need to be understood. Additionally, as consumer-grade 3D printers become more widespread, the amount of 3D-printed parts and printer waste being released into the environment will also grow, and the toxicity of these materials in the environment remains largely unexplored.
With little known about the toxicity of 3D-printed parts, there are consequently few techniques for reducing the toxicity of these parts. Researchers have found that heating a 3D-printed part can reduce its toxicity to cancer cells, but heating also adversely affects the appearance of the part.9 Treating 3D-printed parts with supercritical carbon dioxide can reduce the inflammation caused when the parts are implanted in the body,5 but this technique requires a specialized instrument that is more expensive than many 3D printers. There is an unmet need for simple and accessible techniques for reducing the toxicity of 3D-printed parts in research, healthcare, and commercial applications.